The storm has also forced hundreds of flight cancellations, shut down shipping and train lines and blown cars off the road.

The deaths occurred in Guangdong province, where Typhoon Usagi struck Sunday evening after veering away from the neighboring and densely populated financial hub of Hong Kong. It had earlier passed by Taiwan and the Philippines, where two deaths were reported.

The Guangdong provincial government's news office says 13 of the 21 people were killed in a city near the typhoon's landfall.

The official Xinhua (shihn-wah) News Agency says one county's electricity and water supply was cut off and houses were toppled by strong winds.

In Hong Kong, the local government says dozens of trees are reported down and seven people have been hospitalized.

Usagi --Japanese for rabbit -- had sustained winds of 109 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 132 mph, on Sunday evening.